Interview re Robert Lincoln Todd Beckwith and Bryant Coffelt

FD-302 (REV. 1-27-70)

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Date of transcription 3/21/77

1

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[redacted] for Mr. ROBERT LINCOLN TODD BECKWITH, Room 718, Central Office Building, 1425 H Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. (WDC), telephone [redacted] was interviewed and furnished the following information:

[redacted] stated that ROBERT LINCOLN TODD BECKWITH is the last living descendant of ABRAHAM LINCOLN. She said that in about 1965 or 1966, BRYANT COFFELT was introduced to BECKWITH through BECKWITH's friend, Mrs. MARGARET FRISTO. COFFELT became a chauffeur and companion to BECKWITH. He also claimed that he was a therapist and assisted Mr. BECKWITH, who [redacted] described as a semi-invalid. In exchange for his assistance, BECKWITH paid COFFELT an indeterminate amount of money. COFFELT on occasion departed the WDC area, according to [redacted], to "finish nursing education at the University of Kansas."

In late 1966 or early 1967, COFFELT introduced BECKWITH to [redacted] and BECKWITH were married in Middlesex County, Virginia. On [redacted] had a [redacted] at a hospital in [redacted]. According to [redacted], BECKWITH's personal physician, [redacted] had determined that BECKWITH was sterile. Divorce proceedings resulted and the Superior Court of WDC granted the divorce on [redacted]. [redacted] indicated that the divorce decree is currently in the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. She [redacted] indicated that COFFELT did not appear at the divorce proceedings.

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164-81-7[illegible]

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[redacted] advised that the last known contact that BECKWITH had with COFFELT was on June 15, 1976, when a deposition was taken by the trustees of BECKWITH's grandmother's estate to determine if in fact, [redacted] was an heir to the estate. COFFELT also gave a deposition. The deposition was furnished at the Williamsburg Circuit Court under the title [redacted].

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Interviewed on 3/16/77, at Washington, D.C., File # WFO 164-169 SAs [redacted] by [redacted] Date dictated 3/18/77

This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and is loaned to your agency; it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency. [redacted]

DB COOPER-55437

WFO 164-169 2

[redacted box - content withheld]

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[redacted] indicated that her contacts with COFFELT have been limited, however, she was able to positively identify two (2) photographs of COFFELT. She stated that she recalled that COFFELT was hobbled by an injury he alleged to have received in prison. She added that the only associate of COFFELT's that she knew was TAVE COFFELT, who she described as a cousin of COFFELT.

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[redacted] indicated that approximately three (3) weeks ago, she was contacted by CLAY BLAIR, a news reporter for Universal Studios, Los Angeles, California. BLAIR displayed to her a death certificate for COFFELT listing TAVE COFFELT as his common-law wife. BLAIR requested from [redacted] information regarding COFFELT and BECKWITH. She provided him with only the fact that the [redacted] and [redacted] were public record and that BLAIR could obtain this information from the courts in question.

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[redacted] indicated that [redacted] is believed to currently reside at the following address: [redacted]

[redacted] described BECKWITH as an individual in his 70's, who has a speech impediment and Parkinson's disease. He currently lives at the Wisconsin Avenue Nursing Home, 3333 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W., WDC. [redacted] was unable to provide any additional information regarding COFFELT.

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DB COOPER-55438